Clinton Center on Dean Kumpuris
Artist Bio: My name is Maya Griffin. I am 18 years old and a senior at Little Rock Christian Academy. I have always been interested in art but lately it has become a true passion of mine. I have been a figure skater for 16 years and I am ranked as a double gold level figure skater. Last year I participated in the 2017 Drain Smart competition and am thrilled to participate for 2018. One of my paintings won 2nd place in the Fine Arts competition at my school and another painting of mine won “Best Painting” in the 2017 Governor’s Young Artist Competition. I also have experience in graphic design through an internship at Boulton Creative in North Carolina during January of 2017. Recently, the Arkansas Art Center chose my painting, “Skipping Stones,” as 1 of 8 pieces from Arkansas seniors for the Young Arkansas Artist Exhibition. Design Concept: In this piece, I created an endearing, lovable, and youthful turtle with a contrasting personality. Having him filling the space commands the audience's attention and draws them in to listen to the turtle’s words. With the use of a pun the turtle hints at a slightly explicit word to make the audience aware of the turtle’s opinion while still leaving his precious appearance and personality intact. This catches the observer's attention using humor in a playful way which makes sure that the remark is not offensive. The main purpose of this piece is to use the turtle as an advocate for promoting cleanliness within the Arkansas rivers and stand as an example of an animal that can be affected by pollution at home. |